Dundee will go with pagers

DUNDEE—Dundee Fire Department will go entirely to pagers to notify ambulance squad members of emergencies.
At the Jan. 26 meeting of the village board, Fire Chief Dan Petersen told village board members 911 will no longer make phone calls for emergencies. The department will use pagers rather than dialing into the seven homes and the firehouse as is the current practice. Petersen said members wanted to retain the phone system and that the system would cost the village approximately $880 per year. He noted there is 94 percent success with use of pagers. The board discussed the proposal, with trustee Greg Wright asking if the response time was the same with pagers and Petersen said it is about the same.
Streets Superintendent Andy Howell asked if there are still taxpayers who call the local number and Petersen said, “I think all call 911,” adding, “99.8 percent of calls are from 911 dispatch.” Mayor Fred Cratsley Jr. said he was concerned about the cost of the phones. Wright was also concerned about the impact of the expense on the village budget.
In other business: Cratsley said he had received some good news from Assemblyman Jim Bacalles’ office regarding Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPs) funds. The amount will remain the same as the current year; $23,879.
• Wastewater treatment plant operator Howard Sautter spoke to the board about the renewal and annual sludge report, due by March 1. A quote of $3,000 has been received from Hunt Engineers. A motion to hire Hunt for the work failed and the board asked Sautter to try for a time extension from the state Department of Environmental Conservation. They are also waiting for a quote from Barton & LoGuidice for the project.
• Completed the required annual review of the current procurement policy.
• Appointed election commissioners for the March village election.
• Board members received a proposed local law amending the subdivision section of village code. Cratsley said the board will act on it in February, scheduling a public hearing and referring the document to the county planning board.
The next meeting of the Dundee village board will be at 7 p.m on Feb. 9.